Post News Network
Baripada, August 29: Overcoming all obstacles including poverty, Devi Singh, a girl of Laxmipur in Mayurbhanj, had hogged the limelight when she carved a niche for herself at the state and national levels in weightlifting. At the age of 14, she was crowned with Strong Woman of Orissa twice and Strong Girl of India.
However, she is now languishing in neglect. With strong determination, Devi Singh managed to rise from obscurity like a remote rural background.
Her tryst with weightlifting began when she was on a visit to Mayurbhanj Gymnasium along with a cousin. From that very day, Singh evinced interest for power lifting and carried on her practice.
She began to lift heavy and heavier things without any coaching. Lady luck smiled on her when Rabindra Kumar Mohanty, president of the gymnasium, spotted her sporting talent and coached her for two months on weight lifting.
Under Mohanty’s tutelage, Singh participated in the state-level weightlifting competition and secured top slot.
She won Strong Woman of Orissa Medal twice in sub-junior category when she lifted 245.125 quintal in the competition. Singh never looked back and started her forward journey.
After undergoing four months of rigorous training, Singh represented Orissa at the national weightlifting championship at Mangalore. The sub-junior weightlifter vied with senior players and secured the second slot, brining laurels for the state.
In 2014, she was adjudged Strong Girl of India. Her coach, Mohanty sees a bright future for this promising sports genius. He is hopeful that she would once represent India in the Asiad. Ironically, poverty is a strong deterrent in her journey towards success, she said. Her parents are daily wagers. Arranging huge money for training and other material is an impossible proposition, they added.
Many youth organisations have financially helped her, but that proved insufficient for a sporting talent aspiring for international arena, some sports aficionados said.
Contacted, sports minister Sudam Marndi assured all help for Singh. He also said that he would make sure she moves ahead as she has made the district proud at the national level. State secretary of Biju Janata Dal, Debasish Mohanty said that Singh would certainly be helped when she would go to Uttarakhand in September.
